Insect-catcher



L. PATTON.

INSECT CATGHER.

APPLICATION FILED use. a, 1919.

1,338,587, I Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

1 I Hull 1 I NIH] lllllll Ulll INVENTOR A 077 5? Farm/y ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER IATTON, OF WEST BLOCTON, ALABAMA.

H INSECT-CATCHER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER PA'r'roN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at West Blocton, in the county of Bibb and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insect-Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved machine for catching insects and particularly boll weevils, potato bugs, and like plant 111- juring insects which must be dislodged from the plant in order to destroy them.

The object of my invention is to design an insect catcher having a novel type of rotary brush wheel adjustably mounted therein and adapted to strike and gently agitate the plants with its brushes in the manner most effective for shaking off the insects into catching pans and which at the same time will not injure the plants.

A further object is to provide brushes for the brush wheel which are capable of ready replacement in the field and which are simple and inexpensive in their construction.

More particularly my invention includes the novel details in construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my 1111- proved machine, the dotted lines showing the beater at a higher working level.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the supporting rigging for the beater and the beater.

brushes in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the drivlng and idler pulley rigging for the brush drlvmg. Fig. 4; is a detail view of the brush and its holder or clamp. Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

I have shown myinvention as applied to a 'boll weevilcatching machine of the general type described and claimed in deta1l in my Letters Patent No. 1,289,950 issued Dec. 81st, 1918, and which comprises an upright inverted U-shaped frame 1 having wheel axles 2 at each side on which are mounted a pair of supporting wheels 3. At its lower end, the frame carries trays l, spaced for plants to pass between them and disposed so as to travel under the plant limbs as the machine is drawn lengthwise of and centrally over a row of plants to be' Specification of Letters Patent Patented Apr, 27,1920.

Application filed December 8,1919. Serial No. 343,350.

treated.- To one wheel hub I attach a pul- V ley 5 and about this I pass a flexible belt or driving connection 6 which then passes over guide pulleys 7 and 8 mounted above pulley 5 on one side of the frame and thence passes around the pulley 9 mounted fast on the axle or hub 10 of the brush wheel. This brush wheel is formed by a series of radial spokes 11 made fast to the inner hub 10 and having attached to the outer end of each a brush holder 12. This brush holder is made of substantial width and is adapted to hold end is telescoped into a pipe 16 and held against rotation at the desired adjustment by a set screw 17. The pipe 16 at its lower end is bent at right angles and ournaled in.

a bearing bracket 18 made fast to the frame and a flat spring 19 also attached to the frame, is adapted to engage this pipe arm 16 and press it so as to maintain the tension on the belt 6 sufficient to hold it to its work. The rod 15 can be adjusted lengthwise in the pipe 16 to give the brush wheel the required height according to the plants being treated. The shaft 1 1 is bent outwardly in the opposite direction to the lower bearing end of the pipe 16, this arrangement bringing the brush wheel in position to clear the frame and thus avoid the brushes engaging the frame when adjusted to their maximum height. The brush wheel is spaced from the pulley 9 sufficiently for the wide brushes to clear thedriving belt 6.

If desired an apron 20 of canvas or the like, shown only in Fig. 1, can be mounted on the side of the frame toward which the brushes tend to knock the insects. The pulleys 8 are mounted for independent rotation on any suitable bearing pin on the by a bent plate slotted in the bend to re- V for a bolt 21 which serves both to secure the holder to the spoke and to clamp the free ends of the holder against 'thebr'ush.

In operation, as the machine passes over a row of plants to be treated, its wheel will drive the belt 6 and rotate the brush Wheel which turns 1 on an axis parallel with and disposed above the row, causing its brushes 7 13 to gently strike and shake the plant limbs so ,as to dislodge the insects thereon and ,causethem to fall into the pans 1 from which they can be collected and destroyed. In adjusting vthe brush wheel to operate on plants of varying heights, the telescoping members 15 and 16, permit of the necessary vertical adjusting of the brush wheel while the spring 19 holds proper tension on the belt throughout adjustments of pulley 9 with the brush wheel. 7 7

My invention may be widely varied in its detailed construction without departing from its essential principles.

'What I claim is 1. .An insect catcher of the character described, comprising a wheel supported brush wheel, and spring means acting on 7 said supporttomaintain tension on the belt.

2. In an insect catcher, a wheel'supported frame, a pulley driven by a wheel, an idle pulley means near the'top of the frame, a rotary brush within the frame having a pulley, an endless belt passing over said several pulleys, asupporting frame for the brush wheel comprising telescoping adjustable arms hinged near the base of the frame, and a spring means attached to the frame and engaging said brush wheel supporting frameat its-lower end to maintain tension on; said endlessv belt, substantiallyqas deseriesof radial, arms on said hub, a wide brush socket on each arm, a brush in each socket, and wheel driven means to rotate the brushes free of interference with the adjustments of said support. I Intestimony whereof I affix my signature. LUTHER PATION. I Witness: v f

NoMm WELSH. 

